When it comes to live chat tools for e-commerce, visual branding is just as important as functionality. A well-customized chat widget not only looks professional but also helps improve customer trust and engagement. In this article, we’ll compare how Tidio and Gorgias—two popular AI chatbot platforms—let you customize the appearance of their chat widgets. This guide will help you choose the best fit for your storefront.
Why Appearance Customization Matters
Before we dive into the feature comparison, let’s answer this: Why should you care about chat widget design?
- Brand consistency: A widget that reflects your store’s color palette and tone adds a seamless touch to your customer experience.
- Customer trust: A visually polished widget reassures visitors they’re talking to a professional business.
- Conversion optimization: A well-placed, well-designed chat bubble grabs attention without being intrusive. When they show interest and click, it creates a sales opportunity.
Now, let’s see how Gorgias and Tidio differ in terms of customizing chat appearance and how they perform.
Tidio: Flexible & Visual Customization
Tidio offers a high level of visual control over your chat widget, suitable for merchants who value aesthetics and want an on-brand experience.
✅ Key Customization Features
| Feature | Description |
| Colors | Customize widget, message bubble, and button colors to match your brand |
| Positioning | Choose the widget’s placement: bottom-right or bottom-left |
| Welcome Message | Set a greeting that appears automatically to users |
| Display Conditions | Decide whether to show the widget on specific devices or pages |
| Chat Icon Styles | Choose between a modern bubble, a traditional icon, or even hide the button. Freely adjustable size |
| Dark Mode Support | Available for customers who browse in dark theme |
| Multilingual Welcome | Show different greetings based on visitors’ browser language |
| Custom Avatar | Upload your brand mascot or representative’s image as the chat avatar |
Advanced Visual Options:
- Animated icon behavior (e.g., bounce, pulse)
- Mobile vs. desktop-specific tweaks
- Custom CSS for further personalization (Pro plans)
All settings are accessible from the Tidio admin dashboard under “Appearance > Chat Widget”.
Gorgias: Minimalist and Function-Oriented
Gorgias takes a more straightforward approach to customization, focusing on essential appearance settings for fast deployment.
✅ Key Customization Features
| Feature | Description |
| Primary Color | Choose a single brand color for widget accents |
| Agent Avatar | Display your agents’ photos or company logo |
| Greeting Message | Set a short intro message for first-time visitors |
| Display Trigger | Show the widget automatically or only when clicked |
| Language Settings | Supports auto-detect based on browser settings |
| Widget Position | Place it on the left or right of the screen |
Widget customization is available via “Settings > Chat” in the Gorgias dashboard.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Tidio | Gorgias |
| Brand Colors | Full palette | Single color |
| Chat Icon Styles | Multiple options | Limited |
| Widget Position | Left/Right | Left/Right |
| Welcome Message | Multilingual | Single message |
| Dark Mode | Yes | No |
| Animation Effects | Yes | No |
| Custom Avatar | Yes | Yes |
| Display Conditions | Per device/page | Basic only |
| Custom CSS | Pro Plans | Requires dev help |
User Feedback & Case Highlights
When evaluating live chat platforms, real user experiences speak volumes.
Tidio users frequently praise the platform’s visual customization:
“The interface is very sleek and modern. I love how I can match the chat widget to my brand colors.” — Verified User in Retail
Others also highlight the ease of setup:
“It only took me a few minutes to set up a beautiful chat widget. The interface is intuitive and looks professional.”
Gorgias users, on the other hand, often appreciate simplicity:
“It doesn’t overwhelm you with design settings, which I actually like. The widget is clean and gets the job done.” — E-commerce Manager, Apparel Industry
However, some reviewers mention that Gorgias lacks in-depth styling options:
“Would love more customization to make the widget feel less generic.”
Through the comments, we can see that what suits you best is the best choice. When selecting tools, you need to consider whether the design expectations are consistent with your brand requirements.
Which Chatbot Suits You?
Tidio
stands out with its flexible styling options for color, layout, and greeting messages.
If your business values strong brand alignment, flexible visuals, and interactive UI elements, Tidio is the clear winner.
Gorgias
offers a minimal, no-frills look for teams focused on clean functionality.
If you prefer a clean, fast-to-deploy, no-fuss widget that gets the job done with minimal setup, Gorgias could be the right choice, especially for teams already using it for helpdesk management.
Conclusion
Both Gorgias and Tidio offer powerful features, but many advanced visual settings come with premium plans.
If you’re still exploring options, ShopMate might be worth a look. It offers a fully customizable chat widget—covering colors, avatar, greetings, and animations—designed to match your brand while delivering AI-powered customer support. You can easily customize your widget, manage multiple stores, and deliver personalized customer service. Most importantly, it’s completely free and requires no coding.
If you want to learn more about comprehensive feature comparisons in other aspects, please read our previous blog, Gorgias vs Tidio: No-Code Shopify Support Tools Compared, to help you make multi-dimensional decisions.
